Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-12-30
WARTIME MAKESHIFTS.
Some of the Expedients for Sup
plying Natures Wants.
Getting Food and Clothing, During the
War, in Southern States-How Ne
cessity, the Mother of Inven.
ton, Piled Her Wits

One of the most curious features OF
the late war IN the South was the va
riety of expedients to which the people
resorted to supply those wants which
became pressing. Not until commune
cation with 1.-THE North had been cut
off did the people recognize the fact.
and fully realize it. that the South had
been actually dependent upon the
Northern manufacturer for hundreds
of articles in daily use. Factories were
few, and these in the main made only
the commoner kinds of tobacco and
cotton cloths. Every article found in
a store in 1861 was sure to be of North
ern manufacture, and with that always
higher appreciation of other people
handiwork or talents, was held in
higher esteem than any thing
homemade. Each Christmas, in
those days, shoes were given the me-
groes. A common question was "Who
made dem shoesp' ''Dey wasn't
made" would be the reply; ''dey
come outen de store" By the close of
1861 homemade goods came into use,
mainly from pure necessity. The lat
ter being the mother of invention, it
speedily followed that in North Car o.
lima inventors and clever inventions
became quickly numerous and varied.
Salt, shoes, clothing and hats were
primo necessities. The demand for
salt was very great. There were two
sorces of supply-the sea and the salt
works in Virginia. But these could
do little toward supplying the demand
at first. though later the output was
larger. A sack of salt, which at first
sold for two dollars, rose to thirty dol
lars in gold. and even then it was a
privilege to obtain it. Many families
In the interior made salt from the earth
in their smokehouses. This earth had
gathered, in the course of years, much
salt from the meats which were smoked
In such houses in those DAYS. 1t was
dug up and leached in rude ash hop
per, just rs ashes are leached for I've.
A brine, with more or less rength,
was obtained. This was concentrated
by boiling and then allowed to crystal
izc. 1t was not the best article in the
world, but it was undeniably salt,
which was the one thing needful. The
Government later took charge of the
salt works and employed specially
trained men in large numbers in the
manufacture of that necessity. The
price was regulated by military rules,
and it became more abundant and of
far better quality.
For clothing, homespun was the
only wear In those days rude spin
ningwheels and hand-looms of antique
pattern were common. Those who had
relinquished tho use of these, or who
had used them only in the manufacture
of servants clothing, speedily found
1t necessary to use them themselves.
Others were made, with some improve
ments in design, and there was an
eager search for dyeing material
These were as rule vegetable. In
digo, banks of various kinds. etc,
were largely used. The country
weaver who made good article of
brown jeans, with cotton warp and
wool filling" was in great demand
Many of the wealthiest and most cult
ured women made and wore the
coarsest of home-spun cloths. For I'M
derwear rough factory cotton or cot
ton made on the hand looms was the
best thing to he obtained.
1t was said by very old people that
time had been turned back three
quarters of century. and that peo-
pie in the main resorted to as primi-
tive methods of living and preparing
clothing, ETC., as were use in the days
of tho revolution of 1776. Leather
was in great demand, and since there
is nothing like leather" it was found
that it admitted of no substitute.
Many farmers had tan-troughs made
out of large logs or of planks.
and large enough to hold a dozen
hides. In these they rudely tanned
with oak bark the skins of their own
and their neighbors' cattle for upper
leather. The sole leather, as a rule,
was made at the regular tanneries.
So very urgent and constant was the
demand for shoes that frequently the
hides we're not allowed to remain in the
troughs long enough to become tanned
thoroughly, but had to be taken out
and used while partly raw. They
were utilized while of brown or rus
set color, and were not black. At
tempts at polishing such leather were
infrequent. The demand for sole
leather overtaxed the capacity of the
tanneries, and the farm-houses were